Eli Lilly’s experimental drug retatrutide targets obstructive sleep apnea. According to a clinical trial published in The New England Journal of Medicine, the weight-loss drug significantly reduces episodes of interrupted breathing and the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Researchers enrolled 691 overweight patients in Phase 3 trials and monitored them for 80 weeks. Weekly injections of retatrutide reduced body weight by 12–20%. As a result, the medication halved sleep apnea symptoms in 68% of patients and reduced blood oxygen deficiency (hypoxia) by 65–75%.
At the same time, the drug improved cardiovascular markers by lowering blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and systemic inflammation. Particularly notable progress was observed among people with type 2 diabetes. Forty percent of patients returned to a prediabetic state, while another 40% achieved complete remission of the disease.
According to Virend Somers, a cardiologist at the Mayo Clinic, weight loss improved patients’ sleep quality and reduced their need for continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) devices. Specialists believe that pharmacological intervention could radically change the standard of care for sleep apnea in the future.
